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Wednesday, 29 May 2013

I got these nail polishes from my wonderful mummy, who brought them back for me from her trip to England. I was super excited as I have wanted the L'Oreal Confetti polish for ages now, and these are pretty much the same.

The colours I got were Rainforest Canopy, Speckled Pink and Chalk Dust.

Speckled Pink and Rainforest Canopy are the same as Chalk Dust but with coloured nail polish instead of clear.

The coloured ones go on pretty sheer and you have to layer them up 2 - 3 times depending on what kind of look you want. The 'polka dots' don't show through too much after maybe the third coat, but if you have the clear one you can out one coat of that over top and it looks really nice. Doing this also gives a bit of a dimension effect (?) as in the pink dots are a little darker than the clear ones. I can't explain! But you will see what I mean in the next picture.

Chalk Dust over Speckled Pink & Earnie and Birdie by Catrice

This is after 2 coats of Speckled Pink and two coats of Chalk dust. The texture stays relatively smooth which is nice and they don't chip easily. I would recommend using a clear top coat over them as I found that some of the dots would poke up and snag on things. Also it's a good idea to give them a good shake before using so you get a good concentration of polka dots!

Overall I really like these nail polishes, I don't think I'll pick up anymore of the colours as I already have loads of colours to layer with the clear polka dots.

I hope you enjoyed this review! Let me know in the comments what your favourite nail polish is!

If you follow me on instagram or twitter you may have a pic of me with this fabulous mask smeared all over my beautiful visage - if not, don't worry, there's another one here!

I picked this up after my exams as my skin had been going a bit AWOL from stress among other things.
I've seen these everywhere in the last few weeks and when my local Penneys started stocking them, I had to get one!

I got the 'Mud Pac' mask, a creamy, seaweed-y mask that helps to relieve stress. It says for normal - oily t-zone skin, which is my skin. I used half a packet and it went pretty far. It feels slightly cooling on the skin (like menthol) - which I don't mind but some might. You leave it on for 10 -15 minutes and let it do it's magic!

It dries slightly - but not like those grey clay masks that stop you from moving your face.

Warning: You may look strange while enjoying this mask. To avoid embarrassment schedule your pampering for a time when you aren't expecting any visitors! (example below...)

Sexy & I know it ;)

After the 10 - 15 minutes wash off with a warm cloth. It left my skin feeling super clean and soft, but not tight. I did apply some moisturiser afterwards in any case. I liked this mask as it hydrated my skin and left it feeling very fresh.

I plan on getting one for blocked pores next, of course you can expect my views on this one too! I hope you enjoyed this post! Keep an eye out for more coming soon. Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these face masks, and what you liked/didn't like!

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

So lately I've been trying to look after my nails and hands a bit more. I got a manicure before my holiday to Spain, and I'm convinced the cuticle oil & vitamin D from the sun did them a world of good. I can see the difference in the new nail growing, so I'm trying to keep it up.

I started by getting the Nail Care Pen by Essence seeing as it seems the easiest way to apply all them good oils to the cuticles and nails. I usually do it after I've taken off my nail polish and washed my hands. I haven't used it enough to see too much of a difference but I have noticed my cuticles are a lot softer, and I haven't has any dry/rough skin around the sides of my nails, which I normally do.

The other Cuticle/Nail item I got was the Nail and Cuticle Butter Stick from Essence. It's very like the oil pen, but this one is more moisturising. You apply it the same as the oil pen, by rubbing it on your cuticles and around the nail area, then gently massage it in. I love the smell of this, it's just like beeswax handcream!

It contains: vitamin e, shea butter, lanolin and beeswax.

I then got the Essence All Round Talent nail polish. This claims to be an "all-in-one base or top coat, ridgefiller, hardener, optical whitener and sealer". I figured why not try it out! I just have to wait until I remove my current nail polish to try it and see if it can live up to its claims. It does have a purple tint to it so I believe it will whiten, but I'll wait and see about the rest... Update: I just tested it on my baby finger and just as I suspected the purple tint to it does lend to the whitening effect BUT I put it over my pink nail polish on my other finger and it altered the colour, only a bit, but still noticeably different to the other nails. (Nail with brightener is more of a lighter pink, the rest are fuschia pink.)

The last things I got are two hand/nail creams. I got a hand, nail and cuticle cream from Essence (I told you I had a think for it haha!) and a beeswax hand cream from Penneys (Primark) for 1,50€!

The nail cream does the same job as the other two I mentioned before, so I won't go on about it too much. It's a water based cream.It contains: pro-vitamin B5, natural beeswax and glycerin.

The other hand cream I got from Penneys is a beeswax and jojoba oil cream - it smells amazing. Just sayin'. I got this to try out because I have seen so many people talking about hand creams, and yes I know it's coming up to summer but you have to have pretty hands to show off all the pretty summer manis! And anyway, it's never a bad thing to look after your skin, no matter where.
I got this primarily to keep in my handbag so I would have no excuses for not taking care of my hands, but I definitely am going to get another one, especially seeing as they're so cheap (1,50€). I would recommend everyone to get your hands (pun intended) on some when you're next in there!

It contains: Beeswax, Jojoba oil & Almond oil

That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed! I will definitely keep you all updated on how it goes regarding all my new lotions and potions! Keep an eye out on twitter, instagram and she said beauty for updates!

Friday, 10 May 2013

So today I finished my exam for college (yeah only one!), so I treated myself to these little indulgences (along with some more, but that's for another time!).

I've heard many a good thing about the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain, and I think it'd be dead handy to keep in your purse even.

Rimmel Apocalips have been getting a lot of love too, so I thought I'd pick one up in a dark berry shade, a colour I don't really have anything else in.

Packaging:
The Revlon Balm Stain is a pencil like tube, that twists up for more product. It's really smooth and does feel a bit like a lip balm. It feel a bit tacky when you first put it on, but that fades slowly.

The Rimmel Apocalips comes in a tube much like a lipgloss. It comes with a doe-foot applicator that's hollow in the middle, I believe this is so the product is easier to apply without having to dip back in after every swipe.

Colour & Application:Revlon Balm Stain (Mulligans pharmacy usually 10,95€ I got mine 50% off) The Balm Stain is really easy to apply because of its shape. It's really quick to apply so is really good for on the go, or if you're traveling.
The colour I got was 'Rendezvous', a peachy orange colour. It's quite opaque compared to other tinted lip balms I've tried and gives a slightly glossy sheen to the lips. As far as I can tell there is no shimmer or glittery bits in it.

Revlon Apocalips Lip Laquer (Penneys/Primark 5,95€)The Apocalips applies like a lipgloss, but is very opaque. All I needed was one application to get very bold colour. It feels nice on the lips, a bit like a lipgloss, but then dries to an acceptable texture much the same as the Balm Stain by Revlon. I got mine in the colour 'Galaxy', which as I said earlier is a berry pink sort of colour. This one does have a tiny bit of shimmery bits in it, but you don't notice that too much on the lips. I think it just helps to keep it from losing it's shine. Also, one more thing I noticed was the smell of it - like sour watermelon sweets! Well, at least that's what comes to mind to me, it's the same as the Kate Moss lipsticks by Rimmel. I haven't worn this enough properly to decide whether it bothers me or not, but we'll find out!!

I can't wait to try these out properly! Overall I'm quite happy with my purchases, especially because without the 50% off in Mulligans, I wouldn't have even looked!

I hope you enjoyed my first impressions on these two products! What have you bought lately? Have you tried the Apocalips Lip Laquers in other colours? Have you tried the Revlon Balm stain? Let me know in the comments!!

Come back soon to find out what else I got and as always don't forget to check out my other online profiles such as - Twitter, Instagram & She Said Beauty (all available in the sidebar, along with live feeds!)

Thursday, 9 May 2013

This is my first post of this kind, but lets hope it's the first of many.
You can find my previous NOTD pics on my Instagram or Twitter feed, both visible in the sidebar.

Have fun!

What you need:
1 Base colour - I chose a bright pink but you can use any colour you want.

1 Glitter polish - I used a golden coloured glitter, but again you could use silver or any other glitter colour.

How to:

Paint your nails with 2 coats of your base colour

Leave to dry (~10 minutes)

Once it's dry, apply your glitter polish to the bottom of each nail

When you've done this, go over the bottom again to build up the density of the glitter

Do some small upwards strokes so the glitter appears to be settling gradually at the bottom of your nails

And you're done! You can mix up the colours however you like, and add your own flair to it.

Final result :)

This is another combination you could use!

I hope you enjoyed my first tutorial!! I'm planning on doing more, so keep an eye out. Make sure to check out my other online hangouts for updates and news - twitter, instagram & she said beauty, all of which are available in the sidebar!

Have you tried this out? What colours did you use? OR what colour combo would look good too? Let me know how I did with my first NOTD post in the comments below!

NYX Powder Blush in 'Natural' - I mentioned these blushes in my Wishlist: May! post because I'm lusting over more shades of these. They are so pigmented! I wear this shade regularly and even though the shade is called ' Natural' I feel it gives a more pinky blush to my cheeks. It's super soft and easy to blend out tocreate a subtle flush of colour.

Sephora Contour Blush/Bronze Brush - I picked this up in Spain and it's actually becoming my Holy Grail blush brush (do they even exist??). It's really precise when it comes to applying blush/bronzer to the cheeks and blends highly pigmented blushes out really well.

theBalm Lipstick in 'Ima Goodkisser' - theBalm isn't available in Ireland, but I've seen them online, and the packaging is just too quirky to ignore that I had to pick something up. The shade I got is a light, natural looking pink with a hint of peachiness to it. It's really creamy and glides on a dream. Another thing I noticed about it is that it leaves your lips with a cool minty feeling, it didn't mention anything about it on the box but I don't mind!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 'Addis Ababa' - Ok, this I got for the colour primarily. But it's actually a lovely product. Even though it dries matte, it is in no way drying on your lips. It's very pigmented and you only need a thin layer. It has really good staying power, and is perfect for layering over a lipstick to alter the colour. I've used it several times over my ELF Mineral Lipstick in 'Natural Nymph' for a really soft baby pink look.

No. 7 Extreme Length Mascara - I got this free in boots in a little case with various other No. 7 goodies, I mentioned it in my haul post, but I hadn't used it much then. Now though I can't get enough of it! I only got the travel sized version, but I'm seriously considering buying the full sized version!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 'Beige Clair' - I was in need of a good coverage foundation and saw Hannah from Midnight Violets mention the Healthy Mix Serum So I went to Boots and checked it out. It has really good coverage, but without looking cakey at all.

Lioele Triple the Solution BB Cream - After seeing Shaaanxo use this as a base under her foundation I decided to do some research on Asian bb creams, etc., and thought it looked really good. After getting some samples and trying it on its own and under my regular foundation I decided to bite the bullet and go for it! It's really good and I love the smell (is that weird..?) It has really good coverage on its own, which means I don't have to use as much foundation to get the coverage I want, therefore saving product!

Essence Fix & Matte Loose Setting Powder - I got this aages ago but only really started using it recently. It's so finely milled it's amazing. It makes such a difference to the look of your face. And because it's so finely milled it doesn't appear to 'cling' to the tiny hairs on your face. It's translucent as well, so it doesn't make your makeup look 'heavy' or alter the colour/coverage.

And finally...Catrice Nail Polishes - All of them! They come in such gorgeous colours, it's so hard to resist. The one I got most recently is 'Genius in a Bottle'. It's a copper/forest green iridescent colour that changes depending on the angle. They are pretty opaque - two coats is plenty. They also have one of those flat brushes for application which I really like, as it makes it a lot easier.

Phew! So those are the products I've been loooving these past months. What have been your favourites lately? Have you got a holy grail brush or other product? Let me know in the comments!!
I hope you enjoyed and come back soon!

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